Windshield wiper



K. B. WILLIAMS WINDSHIELD WIPER Aug. 5, 1952 Filed April 20, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 INVENTOR.

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Aug. 5, 1952 K. B. WILLIAMS 2,605,491

WINDSHIELD WIPER Filed April 20, 950 v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 5, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WINDSHIELD WIPER Keith B. Williams, Washington, D. 0., assignor n of one-half to Eugene W. Coughlin, Washington, D. 0.

My invention relates to the general class of power-operated attachments or cleaning appliances of the oscillating or reciprocating and swinging type having plural wiping elements, and more specifically to an improved windshield wiper, which while adapted for various purposes and uses, is especially designed for oscillating about a pivotal center to scrape and wipe snow, ice, and moisture from the windshield of an automotive vehicle.

Usually two opposed wipers or wiper assemblies are employed, each including wiping elements carried by an adapter, cross-head, or bracket, mounted upon or rigid with the free end of an operating arm or radius arm having a pivotal center.

By the use of the laterally spaced wiping elements carried by the adapter and arranged laterally of the oscillatable arm the overall length of the arcuate or segmental sweep of the wiping elements is substantially increased to clear a path of maximum area, and by selective location and arrangement of the installed wipers, a desired portion of different types of Windshields may be cleared to insure maximum visibility.

'In addition *to the increased length of the arcuate or segmental sweep of the wiping elements, the radial length of the wiping elements may also be increased as desired to extend the path of the wipers. v

In its physical embodiment the invention includes a minimum number of parts that may with facility the manufactured at comparatively low cost of production, and the parts may be assembled with convenience and installed with a minimum expenditure of time and labor for use with existing windshield wipers as well as for use with especially prepared appliances.

The invention consists essentially in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts'as will hereinafter be described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a complete example of a physical embodiment of my invention wherein the parts are combined and arranged in' accord with one mode I have devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention. It will however be understood that changes and alterations are contemplated and may be made in these mechanical structures, within the scope of my claims, without departing from the principles of the invention.

Figure 1 is a view inelevation showing a wind 2' shield equipped with an opposed pair of Wipers located at the right and. left ends of the windshield.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the adapter or cross-head of a wiper. U V

Figure. 3 shows the reverse side of the central portion of the cross-head.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional viewof the adapter or cross-head showing its detachable connection on the free end ,of the operating arm or oscillatable radius-arm. r

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view at line 55 of Fi 2.

Figure 6 is a view in elevation, with parts broken away for convenience of illustration, of one of the wipers.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, of one of the wiping elements mounted upon the adapter or cross-head.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary edge view of one of the wipingelements. v

Figure 9 is aplan view of a modified form of the adapter, carrying triplicate wiping elements, the radius arm of the wiper being omitted for convenience.ofillustration.

In order that the general arrangement and utility of parts may readily be understoodl show in Fig. 1 the opposed wipers locatedat the opposite ends of the windshield W, each in position to clear, especially, the end portions of the windshield for maximum visibility of the driver of an automobile and a passenger in the front seat, and the wipers A and B swingor oscillate under usual power as indicated by the dot and dash lines.

Adjacent each end of the windshield a poweroperated rockshaft I is mounted in a bracket or base 2 that is welded or otherwise afi'ixed to the cowl portion of an automotive vehicle, and the usual resilient radius arm 3 is aflixed tothe rockshaft to oscillate or swingacross the front of the windshield.

As best indicatedin Fig. 4 the upper free end of the resilient radius-arm is equipped with a projecting stud 4 for use in rigidly mounting, in selected position, the adapter or cross head that carries the two wiping elements.

The adapter may be stamped or pressed from sheet metal in desired shape, and as here shown it includes an enlargedhead 5 and lateral arms 6 and 1 of unequal length and adapted to be angularly adjusted and mounted transversely of the free end of the radius arm.

For detachably mounting the adapter on the radius arm the head- 5 oi the adapter is cut out 3 to form a longitudinally extending slot 8 and a spaced series of holes or sockets 9 are punched or drilled in the head on an arcuate line above the slot. For rigidly fastening the adapter on the radius arm the free end of the studded arm is slipped through the slot and the stud 4 of the arm is engaged ina selected hole or socket. For resiliently retaining the fastening stud in its socket, a resilient retaining jaw ID of a size and shape to cover the arcuate series of sockets, is attached by welding, or by rivets as H, to form a backing for the inserted end of the radius arm,

and the retaining jaw bears against the radiusarm with sufiicient force to prevent accidental displacement of the adapter from the radiusarm. By use of a selected socket the adapter may be mounted at right angles on the radius rod as shown, or the adapter may quickly be de tached from the stud and swung to a selected diagonalposition and then secured in adjusted position by engagementofthe stud in a selected socket.

In this specific form andarrangement 'of the two wipers I have illustrated-two duplicate and interchangeable, typical wiping elements mounted on the adapter laterally of the'radius arm, and including an outer elementv I2 and an inner extension element. l3 having-their central fastening means located atvarying distancesfrom the rock shaft of a wiper...' i I On the same side of the adapter with the retaining jaw I0, and at the ends of the arms 6 and 7, are mounted a pair of upwardly projecting resilient fastenin jaws M and riveted at H to the ends of the arms, and each equipped with a projecting stud as 4. Preferably the attaching jaw l5 is'alined parallel with the radiusarm in order that the extension wiping element l3 may be mountedin-parallelism with the arm, and the jaw It is disposed at an angle to the longitudinal plane of the radius rod or, arm so that the outer wipingelement I 2 may b mounted on the adapter at an angle tofthe radius arm. As indicated in Fig. 2 the stud of the jaw i5 is spaced a greater distance from the pivotal center, or rock shaft, ofltheradiu's farm than the stud ofthejawlw Thus by angularly adjusting the adapter on the radius rod; by varyin the distance of the studs of the two jaws I4 and I 5 from the rock shaft; and/or by varying the lengths of the two arms 6 and 7; the extension wiping element 3, at its outer end may be projected beyond the outer end of the outer element I 2 to increase the over,- alllength of the wiper.

Bymeans of the. two fastening jaws l4 and I5 the interchangeable wiping elements. may quickly be attached to or detached fromthe supporting jaws I4 and |5.' I

In Figs. 7and 8, a well knowntype of wiping element is illustrated with its rubber edge-strip l6 and attaching clip I! to which a hollow metallic holder I8. is pivoted at'l9 and provided with a slot 29 in its rounded face. The slot opens to the interior of the holder which may be fashioned with a boss 2| having a socket or depression to receive a stud as Land the usual backing, as a rubber or resilient cushion, 22is mounted within the holder for frictional. engagement with the fastening jaw to'retainthe. holder and jaw in proper operative position. I v

As indicated in Fig, 7 the wiping element is mounted upon theadapt'er or bracket by slipping the slot of the holder over the fastening jaw until the stud slips into the socket of the boss, and the frictionally engaged cushion or backing retains the jaw against accidental displacement of the stud, from its socket.

The location of the rock shafts, which may be operated by power from a pneumatic motor, an electric motor or in other suitable manner, with relation v to the two outer end portions of the windshield maybe varied as desired; and under some circumstances the two wipers and their rock shafts may be installed at opposite sides of the center line of the windshield to sweep and clear a maximum area at and away from the longitudinal center of the windshield.

While I haveillustrated and described a novel and useful cross head, bracket, or adapter, especially for supporting and carrying a pair of wiping elements of standard make, and also adapted for -mounting upon the free end of a typical radius-arm, it will be understood that the adapter and the wiping elements'as well as the radius arm may be otherwise arranged,'and that the adapter, per se, is also susceptible of modification.

In the form of the'inventionillustrated in Fig. 9 I employ a triangular shaped adapter 23 with three supporting'jaws, and three fastening studs as indicated by dotted lines, at 4.

The radially arranged wiping element E2 and the angular wiping element 13 are spaced laterally and disposed at'opposite sides of the operating arm or radius arm, and an additional or third wiping element '24 is mounted on the adapter with its longitudinal axis transversely of and located between the two laterally spaced wip-' ing elements l2 and I3,-to clear the space of the windshield between the wiping elements l2 and I3.

'Ihe angularly disposed wiping element 1 3 may be mounted on the bracket oradapter in desired position as required for installation on a particular windshield to -.be cleaned in order that the blade of the wiping element will sweep the triangular area in either the'inner or outer, lower corners which are not ordinarily cleaned by devices now'in use.

The wiping elements may be of either uniform or varying length, and the relative positions of these elements may be varied; and the positions of the wiping elements with relation to the operating arm or radius arm may also be changed, in adapting the wipers to different positions on the windshield to attain maximum elliclency. '4 m Having thus fully described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by patent is:

1. In apower operated attachmentfthe combination with a resilientand oscillatable radiusarm having an attaching stud at its free end, of a cross-head having a slot to receive said end and a spaced socket to receive the stud, a resilient jaw'mounted on the cross-head for'retaining the stud in its socket, and a pair of quick-detachable wiping elements mounted on the opposite ends of the cross-head at unequal distances from opposite sides of the arm.

2. In the power operated'attachment described, the combination with a' resilient and oscillatable radius arm having an attaching stud at its free end, of an angularly adjustable cross-head having a longitudinally extending slot to receive said end and a spaced arcuate series of selective sockets to receive the attaching stud, a resilient jaw mounted on the cross head for retaining the stud in a selected socket, and a pair of quickdetachable wiping elements mounted on the opposite ends of the cross-head.

3. In the power-operated attachment described, the combination with a resilient and reciprocable radius-arm, a cross-head mounted on the free end of the arm, and a pair of interchangeable wiping elements spaced laterally of the arm, said elements each having an attaching socket, of a resilient retaining jaw mounted on each end of the cross head, and a fastening stud on each jaw for coaction with a socket, for retaining the wiping elements in operative position.

4. In the wiper described, the combination with an oscillatable arm, an adapter, and means for mounting the adapter on the arm, of a plurality of wiping elements angularly disposed with relation one to another and located at unequal distances from the arm, and means for mounting the wiping elements on the adapter.

5. In the wiper described, the combination with an oscillatable arm, and an adapter rigid with the arm, of a wiping element carried by the adapter at a short distance from one side of and parallel with the arm, and a second wiping element carried by the adapter located at a greater distance from the opposite side of the arm and disposed at an angle to the first mentioned wiping element.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,140,001 Runge May 18, 1915 1,658,312 Trimble Feb; 7, 1928 1,938,840 Kleven Dec. 12, 1933 2,147,113 Smulski Feb. 14, 1939 2,285,618 Scinta June 9, 1942 2,446,401 Ziskind Aug. 3, 1948 

